Get you a man who can do both! When Jung Kook rocked iHeartRadio with his funk hit “Standing Next to You,” he mesmerised fans with his sublime vocals and electrifying dance moves. The South Korean superstar started by reminding everyone why he’s the main vocalist of BTS by singing those soaring hooks with a whole lotta style. Jung Kook’s high range is truly to die for, and it gets a real workout on “Standing Next to You.”
“Standing Next to You” was noted by critics as a real love letter to Michael Jackson’s hits. You know you can’t channel the King of Pop without being able to throw down on the dance floor, and The Music Man is happy to say Jung Kook brought the fire to his iHeartRadio performance. From the 2:30 mark, Jung Kook switched focus to deliver the dance break in an effortlessly charismatic performance that had the crowd all riled up.
Jung Kook performed “Standing Next to You” on iHeartRadio on November 5, 2023, just two days after he released the single. Fans couldn’t get enough of the live cut and added comments such as “Jung Kook has the aura of a true star. He’s so at ease on stage, and always brings it to the next level live!” and “Jung Kook is an amazing performer. He makes the live shows sound better than the studio recordings, and that falsetto is just gorgeous!”
Jung Kook gave fans a real treat at his iHeartRadio live session, as he performed not one but two of his biggest hits. The K-pop luminary also dropped his US Platinum hit “Seven,” where he showcased some delectable soul vocals over the chill vibes of the tune. Jung Kook’s performance here shows his ear for vocal phrasing, as beyond his impressive pipes, he really knows how to create such memorable and hooky lines.
“Seven” and “Standing Next to You” were the first and third singles from Jung Kook’s debut solo album Golden, which he released on November 3, 2023. He scored major hits with both songs, as they both topped the Billboard Global 200. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that despite the subsequent success of “Standing Next to You,” Jung Kook said that he wasn’t completely sold on the song when his producer Andrew Watt brought it to him. He told Pickcon: “Let me tell you about when I first heard ‘Standing Next to You.’ After Andrew and I finished recording ‘Seven,’ he played this song again. I wasn’t immediately drawn to the song, but there was a grandeur to it when I heard it.” Jung Kook added that he later began to see potential in “Standing Next to You” after he began workshopping ideas for the dance choreography for the song and came to believe that it was an excellent fit for the album after all.